WERE BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

[kipper]

dot

[antman]

Ummmm. What happened?

[gstark]

Not quite.

Please see my news item on the front page.

[kipper]

A total retard hacked the site. Looks like a phpBB hack/exploit or the underlying db.

[kipper]

Well we can login Gary, that's a damn good start.

[Paul]

It's great to be back!!
Well done Gary & Co for fixing the site in double quick time
Sad little cretins that do this for kicks

[gstark]

It was an exploit - one that I was aware oif - but it appears to hav changed in its mode/severity since it was first discovered.

When I first learned of it, the information was that it inserted a redirection into the generated code. Yes, it did that, but it also modified several of tables, the mose severe effect being upon the messages and messages_text tables, both of which will need to be restored from the backups.

One issue with GoDaddy, one that I intend to raise at the very highest level with them, is the way that they permit me to load tables. It sucks, and it's tedious.

And did I mention that it sucks and it's tedious? The amount of data that can be uploaded at any one point in time is very small, requiring lots and lots and lots of very small SQL uploads.

While I can backup my data quite easily and quickly, restoring it in this manner is a major PITA, so I need to rely upon their backup/restore procedure. No biggie, except that they're saying up to 72 hours for the restore, at their standard cost of US$Whatever.

I don't mind the $$$, but three fucking days ??? I may as well re-upoload by hand!

I will need to implement some way of automagically backing up the data from their servers - shouldn't be too difficult - and then parsing the files into the smallish component sizes that I need for reuploading, if necessary.

[kipper]

Urgh, that sounds like shit Gary RE: GoDaddy.
I haven't had the displessure of setting up external hosting yet. Things like that really put me off.

[gstark]

It's great to be back!!
Well done Gary & Co for fixing the site in double quick time
Sad little cretins that do this for kicks

Paul, they're not cretins - they're not even that smart.

Please don't yet consider the site fixed either; we still need to reload the message datatables from the backups in (I think) Florida.

Oh yes, the other thing - I asked them at what time the last backups were made - I need to be careful to not take a compromised dataset. Although I asked the question about 4 hours ago, I'm still waiting for an answer - their so-called tech support people don't have access to that information.

Talk about mindless cretins ...

[gstark]

Urgh, that sounds like shit Gary RE: GoDaddy.
I haven't had the displessure of setting up external hosting yet. Things like that really put me off.

Unfortunately, one doesn't always find out the ugly parts of the (NON-)service until one needs them.

If you know about them beforehand, you can plan to deal with and address them, but if you don't, it leaves you hanging, and creates, for people like GoDaddy, a far bigger problem than they might care to understand.

It's piss-poor management on their part, and they're about to find out precisely how I feel about that.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[glamy]

Gary,
If there is cost involved, we all should chip in...
Cheers,
Gerard

[nito]

yes wondering what happened to the site. Glad that it is back

[Miliux]

Gstark,

are you able to crank the avatar file size larger than 6k?

Find it awfully hard for a file to be that small.

[DaveB]

are you able to crank the avatar file size larger than 6k?

Find it awfully hard for a file to be that small.

Then you're probably not doing it right. Have a look at the recent Avatar Sizing Problem. HELP!!! thread.

[gstark]

Gstark,

are you able to crank the avatar file size larger than 6k?

I am, but I see no reason to do so.

Find it awfully hard for a file to be that small.

A few have experienced similar problems, but it all comes down to technique, and it's really not all that difficult. Look at your quality setting when saving the file; it's only an avatar, and your really don't need to have 300dpi.